Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Writing a “Personal” Personal Statement

Written By Guest Author Vivian Kerr

Most personal statements are either boring, cliché, or just
downright untruthful. Sounds cynical? It is, but so are many admissions
counselors. Imagine reading essay after essay that all sound the same or start
with, “Here’s why you should accept me.” It’s not easy to write personal statements
OR to read them. Make your essay personal, and more compelling, with these few
quick tips.

Tell a
story about something that matters to you. You’ve probably heard the phrase “show, don’t tell” a hundred times, but what that means is you want
to paint a picture for your reader. It’s easier to engage them if you treat
your personal statement like a traditional narrative. Check out the resources
on the Writing
Narative Texts Learnist board. It will teach you techniques to develop the
telling of real experiences or events using selective details and well-ordered
event sequences.

Adjust
the essay to each school. Unless you’re using your statement for the
common application, you’ll need to make adjustments for each prompt. Make sure
if you include the name of the school within the body of the essay you change
it before submitting it. There’s nothing worse than an application to NYU being
sent off with USC mentioned in it!

Don’t
repeat information. The application committee will have your
transcripts from high school, so don’t repeat facts that can be found elsewhere.
The personal statement is a place to address a part of you that can’t be found
anywhere else in your package.

Relate
your story to the school itself. Reveal part of your personal
story that led you to choose this school. Why are you a great fit? Why is now the perfect time for you to go off
to college? This is a great way to wind up your story. Tell the story, but then
explain why you’ve told it! Don’t be afraid to use the first-person “I” and be
emotionally revealing. Aim for depth over breadth. It’s always better to be
sincere and honest than pedantic, or overly academic.

Don’t
send your first (or second) draft! Accept that you’ll need to
revise your essay a lot! The pre-writing will be a big step, and you might need
to attempt four or five personal stories before you find one that thematically
connects to what you’re trying to say to the admissions committee. Try writing
a few different outlines before you begin. Get feedback from your family,
friends, teachers, and guidance counselors. Give feedback to your peers so you
can start to learn what a good statement “feels” like. Once you’ve finished your
essay, go back and read the specific language of each prompt. Make sure your essay
is appropriately on-task.

Vivian Kerr: Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring in the Los Angeles area since 2005. She graduated from the University of Southern California, studied abroad in London, and has worked for several test-prep companies including Grockit & Kaplan for whom she taught ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, and did admissions counseling.